5

H—32a

and agriculture, and lighthouse-keepers and assistant keepers and their families. The increase is demonstrated by the number of active members at the end of each of the last four financial years :

Postal Service Members

A total of 23,483 books was issued to these members (luring the year, including 1,4:14 to lighthouses. LOAN COLLECTIONS Special collections of books 011 specific subjects, issued for two months, were again popular. Subjects such as gardening, occupations and hobbies, music, and New Zealand were in demand, but some libraries asked for collections on such less generally popular subjects as philosophy, mining methods and coal, and vocational guidance. In addition to the 327 collections issued to 78 libraries linked with this Service, 21 collections were sent to teachers' training colleges, W.E.A. summer schools, Education Department refresher courses, and to other libraries outside the Service which required them for special purposes :

Use of Loan Collections

1945. Year ended 31st March, . 1946. 1947. 1948. Active members— North Island (South Island Lighthouses \ 496 66 674 | 81 569 234 101 607 293 108 562 755 904 1,008 Lighthouses served 15 19 20 25

Year ended 31st March, 1017. 1948. Number of collections sent— To libraries linked with Country Library Service — North Island .. .. .. 120 188 South Island 103 139 Total 223 327 To other libraries— North Island 12 17 South Island 5 4 Total to other libraries — 17 — 21 Total collections sent 240 348 Number of libraries linked with Country Library Service served— North Island 42 60 South Island 13 18 Total — 55 — 78 Number of books issued— North Island 6,552 9,722 South Island 3,228 3,490 o mo 19 OlO JLUVCvJL • . . . . . . . . •